Walkers UK Market Deli Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

mmm.
Gotta love those Walkers Chips.

IDK how they make the chips taste so good in the UK, but I want to live my life by the same philosophy.

The chips as usual are rich and tasty and crispy. This time paired with a sweet and acid punch of "Balsamic Vinegar of Modena". Unlike the kick from a traditional "Salt & Vinegar" crisp, the Balsamic flavoring has the more complex flavor and sweetness of the grape sugars used to produce Balsamic.
I would liken this bag to sitting at an Italian restaurant and dipping bread in freshly poured Balsamic Vinegar.  It's very true to the flavor described.

The bag is incredibly tasty and unique and I would highly recommend it to any fans of the delicious chips being made by Walkers. The texture and unique flavors can rarely be beat. Loved this bag! A+

Walkers UK Market Deli Sweet Roasted Red Pepper with English Tomato Pita Chips

BRUH. THESE ARE NASTY BRUH.

EW. I'm still coughing.
IDK what it is, but these got some funky dusty taste to them.
The pita chip is cooked well enough. Tastes like a well cooked pita chip... not too thick or too greasy (which I hate). But the seasoning is just funky. There was a LOT of hummus dipping going on with these.
I think it's the red pepper seasoning, it just has this dusty, lightly cheesy flavor. (Actually, that makes sense, Red Pepper is used in a lot of cheese substitutes to give them a more cheese like flavor). You get sweetness from the tomato. And spice coming through, again from the pepper. Ya, I guess my complaint with these is that slightly cheesy flavor, because it catches you off guard. The sweet tomato and spice would probably be really nice if not overpowered by that other note.  These just don't do it for me at all, I really didn't enjoy them. I put them out at a party, and they weren't really enjoyed by my guests either. So... MEH.

But what do you think? Have you had these before? Did you like them? What do you think of Lay's/Walkers making Pita Chips? Let us know in the comments below.

Guest Chip Review! Walkers UK Deep Ridged Taste Flamin' Hot

"London, England: Home of many great historic sights including St. Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe, and, of course, Buckingham Palace. Yet, amidst these wondrous sights I find myself treasuring a miniature aluminum bag painted passion red. The home of famous "Walkers Crisps" brings me "Walkers Deep Ridged Taste Flamin' Hot" or what I've dubbed as the new crown jewel of Londontown. I'm sure Queen Elizabeth shall agree. As I begin my journey into crispy potato heaven, I feel the tingle of a foreign spice; Paprika! Tangy Paprika, instantly swirls around each taste bud as I wipe away tears of bliss. What's next is expected in the world of Spicy foods, but a surprise to my tongue none the less. A melon-lime twist, with a streak of tomato dazzle. The chip is airy and light though, and it feels like a crispy adventure on it's own as my tongue traverses each ridge of it's wild texture. I recommend this chip to any renaissance man (or woman) looking for an afternoon pick-me-up. May pair well with your British Afternoon Tea (but probably not). Ta-ta. Cheerio. And God Save The Queen!
With Love, As Always,
Francesca xx Diablo xx"

If this isn't the best Chip Review I have ever posted on my blog, I don't know what is!

Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Barmy for a Sarnie Contest

This is other news I missed. Walkers UK appears to have made their Facebook viewable only to UK residents, so I keep getting Walkers news late. I honestly don't even know if you can still get these flavors, but I think the flavors are worth discussing so, I'm sharing the info anyways.

Here are 6 new flavor collaborations between Walkers and Heinz. They flavors are sandwiches featuring a specific Heinz sauce. There is "Bacon & Tomato Ketchup", "Cheese Toastie & Worcester Sauce", "Sausage & Brown Sauce", "Ham & Mustard", "Roast Chicken & Mayonnaise", and "Cheese, Cucumber & Salad Cream". All the sandwiches are pretty typical British fair, and actually make a LOT of sense as chip flavors. Bacon & Ketchup are already pretty standard chip flavors, Cheese & Worcester Sauce as well... but who knows how they taste together, I have never tried HP sauce/ Brown Sauce so I can't say what that tastes like but I know it has been a chip before by a brand called Golden Wonder chips, Ham & Mustard actually sounds the BEST of the batch... I had that flavor combo from Lay's Spain and enjoyed it, Roast Chicken & Mayo IDK but I think I could get behind it, and Lastly the Cheese Cucumber & Salad Cream combo... that is not a flavor made for me, I do not enjoy Salad Cream at all... so that one is for sure my Wildcard. All in all, the collection looks fun, edible, enjoyable, and worth a taste if you get the chance. What do you think about these flavors? Would you give them all a try? Let us know in the comments below!

Walkers UK Market Deli Cornish Mature Cheddar

THESE ARE THE BOMB. I WANT THEM AGAIN. GIMME GIMME GIMME. Actually, I'm headed back to the UK next month and I'm pretty keen to grab another bag. These chips are scrumptious. They are the "Cornish Mature Cheddar" bag from Walkers Market Deli collection. The cheese flavoring reminded me of something that I can't recall. I know, that doesn't really serve a blog well. Bare with me. This is NOT the Cheese flavor on Lay's USA's "Sour Cream & Cheddar" or "Wavy Cheddar" or "Jalepeno Cheddar". It's not like the Cheese on Walker's "Cheese & Onion" or "Cheddar Cheese & Onion". I can't figure it OUT! It's a little bit like Cheetos Cheese but not at all! Oh great, this blog is a failure!! Look, all I know, is that this Cheese flavor is totally different from other cheese flavored chips. The cheese is a tangy and strong. The chips are well cooked (as usual with Walkers), they are a Thick Cut chip so the Potato flavor comes through well... and the seasoning is heavy, but in the best way! Loads of Sharp Cheddar flavor on a well cooked crisp. You can't go wrong. It's so simple but sooo pleasing. Get these if you can. They are Perfect.

OK Here's Some Late News: Walkers Bring Me Back Contest 2015 brought some flavors back

This is like 8 month old news guys. It might as well be a historical archive at this point.

I told you all I had taken a bit of a break from the blog, so that's why this story never got covered, which is stupid, because it's Walkers, so it wasn't really something I should have missed. BUT none the less I did, and I've got to Thank Georgina Malcolm over at http://cheeseburgercrisps.blogspot.com/ for bringing the contest to my attention. (PS She's got a really cute blog about all things crisps, so head over and check it out!)

Last Summer, in place of the typical "Do Us A Flavor" contest everyone has been running for the last handful of years, Walkers UK decided to mix it up and hold the "Bring Me Back" Contest.

The "Bring Me Back" contest brought back 5 classic retro Walkers Flavors back for a Limited Time, to see which would be brought back into the permanent collection. The 5 flavors were "Beef & Onion", "Cheese & Chive", "Barbecue", "Lamb & Mint", & "Toasted Cheese". The Promotion also brought back a 6th retro flavor to be permanent; "Marmite".

In the end, "Beef & Onion" was victorious and brought back as the winning retro flavor. Making both "Marmite" & "Beef & Onion" permanent flavors.

And that is why, I still felt it was important to report on this contest... because rarely do beloved retro flavors come back on shelves, let alone 2 of them. If you miss the beloved taste of either of these, track them down and enjoy.
I've only ever tried the "Beef & Onion" replacement flavor that came out as "Steak & Onion" (ps Didn't know that had been discontinued either, Walkers!) but I know "Beef & Onion" fans didn't like it as much as the original, so I see why this would be a popular choice for the win. I can't wait to hunt it down and see what all the hype has been about.

OK Here's Some Late News: Walkers UK Market Deli & Sensations Lime with Thai Spices

Walkers in the UK has also launched the Market Deli line I talked about the other day from Holland. They've got 3 of the same flavors "Balsamic Vinegar of Modena", "Flame Grilled Spanish Chorizo with Roasted Onion", and "Wiltshire Cured Ham, Mature Cheddar and Farmhouse Chutney". Plus 2 more flavors "Cornish Mature Cheddar" and "Anglesey Sea Salt". As I said before, the sophistication of the flavors makes these really exciting and unique in the world of Lay's.

Another differentiation between the UK range and Netherlands is the expansion into Pita Chips and Tortilla Chips. Even though I don't really mention these usually, I might as well cover the expanded range. The Pita Chips are available in "Roasted Garlic and Mediterranean Herbs"and "Sweet Roasted Red Pepper with English Tomato". The Tortilla Chips are flavored as "Roasted Red Chilli with Mediterranean Sundried Tomato" and "Anglesey Sea Salt with Cracked Black Pepper".

Real Talk: These are beautiful and I want them. That is all.

(Apparently this line came out first, and that's why it's a more comprehensive line than the Dutch one)

 Last little Bonus is that the Sensations line has added a new potato chip flavor in their "Gently Infused Lime with Thai Spices" flavor. Sounds literally perfect. Lime and spice go great together. The Sensations line has always been that more sophisticated line of Potato chip flavors from Lay's/ Walkers. And even with the new Market Deli collection, it still will be an elevated flavor experience from the run-of-the-mill chips. So this new flavor seems to just be a continuation of that experience.

Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Tear N Share

More Walkers News! I'll be brief, its a new line of Walkers Chips in Classic flavors like "Lightly Salted", "Cheddar Cheese & Onion", "Salt & Malt Vinegar", "Sticky BBQ Ribs", and "Sweet Chilli".
The chips are a thicker cut chip, and from everything I've heard online they are actually just a re-branding of the "Extra Crunchy" line. (Read My Review of "Sticky BBQ Ribs" here). The real news here is the bag. It's basically a "bowl", so you tear off the top, and the bag becomes a shareable bowl. In case you have no bowls at home, or you want to have the ugliest snack table ever at a party. You know.
We have stuff like this here in the US, most notably Orville Redenbacher Popcorn has a "Pop up Bowl". So you can go from the microwave to the couch without that laborious bowl pouring.

So, what do yall think about these Tear N Share bags? What's more exciting, the packaging? Or that Extra Crunchy crisps are back? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Walkers UK Extra Crunchy Sticky BBQ Rib

MMMM. Walkers. How I missed you.
This is an exquisite bag of Walkers Extra Crunchy in "Sticky BBQ Rib" flavor. The chip comes in the Extra Crunchy cut which is a thicker cut chip... not exactly a Kettle Cook, but somewhere between that and a regular cut. It's a great texture, really, and allows the taster to get more of that lush potato flavor from the chip. And as I've mentioned before, Walkers use some of the most flavorful potatoes around. They always use British potatoes, and it makes a huge difference.
Opening the bag, it smells fantastic, it has a sweet hearty almost meaty smell. The seasoning is typical Walkers, it's a bit similar to prawn cocktail, or ketchup, in that this BBQ flavor has a sweet and tangy brightness to it. But it is still very much a BBQ flavor. I think after trying this, they made the right choice not to just label it BBQ like the millions of other BBQ bags out there, because this isn't that flavor. It is definitely the kind of sweet, sticky BBQ you could imagine yourself licking off of your fingers after eating ribs.
This bag is a complete home run to me, and I'm highly recommending you hunt this baby down. The bag was pretty big, and I practically inhaled it in a day. Good job yet again Walkers!

Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Mixups Crisps Mix Cheese & Bacon and Cheese & Worcester Sauce

Here it is yall! The final post in our 3 part series about the new Walkers Mixups line.
I am so dumb, I've been looking at these bags for some time now and I only just realized these are the exact same product that Belgium and the Netherlands just launched. The bag is the same, the style, and it's even practically the same font. duhh.
As with those bags, these bags mix 2 different flavored crisps in the same bag. Essentially giving you 3 flavors to choose from in 1 bag: the 2 separate, and then the mix. These are both tried and true flavors; a combo of "Cheese & Bacon" and a combo of "Cheese & Worcester Sauce". I would knock someone out for either of these, no question.
So, what do you think of these? Would you wanna see Mixups in the States? I think we could see some delicious Combos. Tell us in the comments!

Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Mixups Popcorn Mix Sweet & Salty and Sweet & Spicy

Last post we talked about Walkers new Mixups snack collection in the UK. This time around we are talking about another subcategory in the Mixups line; the Popcorn Mix. The Popcorn Mix comes in 2 flavors: "Sweet & Salty" and "Sweet & Spicy". I'm not well versed enough in Walkers extensive collection of products in the UK, so I'm not sure if they currently offer any popcorn. I don't really think of Lay's when I think of Popcorn, so this is a strange choice for me. I also don't get the "Sweet & Spicy" combo. That kinda sounds gross. Now, the "Sweet & Salty" that is something I can get behind. YUMM. That sounds like a good plan. I really would love to read some reviews on these to know if they are a success or not. If you've tried them, please comment below.
So what do you think? Do you wanna eat Walkers branded Popcorn? Do these flavors sound good to you? Comment below!

Gotta Get At This: Walkers UK Mixups Snacks Mix Cheese and Spicy

Walkers in the UK launched a new line called Mixups last month. The bags are all a mix of different treats, the first 2 of 6 are the "Snacks Mix" bags. The snacks mix bags are composed of 4 of Frito-Lay's most popular UK snack items: 'Doritos', 'Monster Munch', 'Wotsits', and 'French Fries'. The mix comes in 2 flavor bags: "Cheese" and "Spicy". These look like a delicious mix of the best Walkers has to offer aside from Potato Chips. Now, check out this weird-ass commercial for Cheese Mixups Snacks Mix....

So what do you all think? Looks better than Munchies in the US, right? Stay tuned for the next part in our 3 part article on Walkers Mixups.

Contest: Walkers UK Do Us A Flavor Winner Revealed!

It wasn't really much of a fight, since Walkers decided to go all INSANE and have this flavor up against a Raccoon meat flavored bag... but Pulled Pork in Sticky BBQ Sauce has finally come out victorious. The flavor sounds delicious, and we are gonna try our hardest to get a hold of it, but until then, all I can say is good choice. And nice win for Paul Rothwell, whose homegrown flavor with Pork from Norfolk awarded him a nice One Million British Pounds. FANCY. Congrats Paul, and all the islanders who get to taste this treat.

Contest: Walkers UK Do Us A Flavour 2014 Finalists Announced

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UK, why must you always one-up us?? 6 FINALISTS??? Jeez thats a lot of chips. So JEALOUS!!
"Sizzling Steak Fajita", "Hot Dog with Tomato Ketchup", "Chip Shop Chicken Curry", "Pulled Pork in A Sticky BBQ Sauce", "Ranch Raccoon" (wtFFF?), and "Cheesy Beans on Toast" are the new flavors Chip fans in the UK will have to choose from.

Right off the bat, I want/need 'Hot Dog with Ketchup' and 'Pulled Pork'. I don't know what sticky BBQ sauce taste like, but it sounds HAM-AZING!!
"Cheesy Beans on Toast" sounds like a Brit thing... cuz that shiz sounds horrible to me... and "Ranch Raccoon" is ACTUALLY Raccoon meat flavored... so KILL ME now.
Why?? Why would anyone want a Raccoon flavored chip?? Do people even EAT raccoon?? Rename this bag "Ranch Rabies"... yuck-ah! Sheesh... to think, we all thought "Cappuccino" was a weird flavor.
And then we have 'Fajita' and 'Chicken Curry', both of which sit right in the middle for me. I could take em or leave. Those are flavors I would expect to see in this competition.

Walkers did a good job of covering a lot of bases with the finalist selection... with the exception of a sweet flavor. I think most will find something they like.

Wish me luck finding these y'all! Happy Hunting!

Gotta Get At This (or not): Lay's USA Air pOps, Walkers UK pOps, and Lay's South Africa pOpped; plus a crash course in Air Popped Chips

With South Africa releasing the "pOpped" line and the UK releasing their own "pOps" line... I figured it was time to talk about our newly repackaged line of Lay's "Air pOps" and what the heck an Air Popped Chip actually is.

So to begin, here's the glamour shots...

 

The "pOpped" collection from South Africa in "Peri Peri Prawn", "Hot & Tangy Piquante Pepper", and "White Cheddar & Spring Onion".

 

The UK's Walkers' line called "pOps" featuring "Prawn Cocktail", "Melted Cheese & Crispy Bacon", "Original", and "Sour Cream & Onion".

And lastly, the lovely new packaging on the US's "air pOps", which come in "Sour Cream & Onion, "Original", "Barbeque", and "Salt & Vinegar".

So, what are air-popped chips and why are these collections pOpping up everywhere?
Air-popped chips are made in the EXACT same way rice cakes are made. Instead of grains of rice; lumps of potato flakes and starch are hydrated, pressurized, heated, depressurized, and then they fuse together. Presto! No need to fry, or bake, or anything. And while that leaves you with a chip that is 50% less fattening when compared to traditional chips, it also leaves you with a chip that strangely tastes exactly like a rice cake. And honestly, when compared to other reduced fat options, there are definitely tastier alternatives out there.
So, why are they so popular? In 2007, "Popchips" hit the market and quickly became a major competitor in the US potato chip market. The company had great packaging, loads of advertising, celebrity endorsers, and a healthier product. Not to mention a range that includes at least 7 flavors, 3 tortilla chips offerings, and some veggie chips. The company single-handedly created a niche market within chips. Brands like "Popcorners"and "Special K" followed the puffed chip fad, and it eventually led to Lay's introducing their own "air pOps". "air pOps" has done well, with the line even expanding to include another flavor. So it's no surprise that the line is appearing in countries like the Netherlands, the UK, and South Africa now.

But, is this a genuine potato chip? In my opinion, much like Pringles (or Lay's Stax) uses potato flakes and starch to manufacture their chips that aren't really chips; air-popped chips are not really chips. They are a potato snack alternative. BUT while Pringles and Stax at least pack tons of potato flavor, Popchips and Air pOps taste exactly like the name suggests... AIR.
To me, the flavor is the most important thing, and these air-popped chips are not even in the same league as traditional chips when it comes to flavor. Let's keep it REAL, if you are eating puffed up potato chips with little nutritional value and loads of sodium to save a few calories, then your eating habits are already FKD up. You are NOT going to lose weight eating salted potato puffs. Sorry. (#SorryNotSorry). Potato chips are a treat, a treat that should be eaten in moderation. When it's time for my treat, on the occasion that I'm going to indulge in potato chips, I want them to taste AWESOME. I don't want to eat chips that remind me of the real chips that I'm not eating. And I paid for too much school to be fooled into thinking that if I eat a bag of fake chips every day at lunch, that it will equate to the wonderful occasional joy of eating real potato chips.

Contest: Walkers UK Do Us A Flavour 2014

 Flavour example ^

It's the most wonderful time of the year!! No not Christmas, its "Do Us A Flavour"!!! Walkers has once again launched it's famed contest and has opened the online doors to make you a flavor star! Walkers hasn't run this contest since 2008... but since all the cool countries are doing it, it seems the trend has finally made it's way back with a bang. This year, the winner will take home ONE MILLION POUNDS! What?! Oh, that's only over One and a half Million Dollars!! No biggie. 

The contest is open now to UK residents on their website and has already garnered over 20,000 submissions... so UK crisp fans better get creative if they want to stand a chance of winning. In 2009, the winner was "Builder's Breakfast", a bag flavored like a full English breakfast of Sausage, Eggs, Ketchup, etc. 

I'm THRILLED to see what makes the cut this time. This is by far, the biggest and best of the Create-a-Flavor contests. I can't wait. 

If you are one of our UK readers, comment below. I'd love to know what you are submitting!

Contest: Walker's Do Us A Home Grown Flavour Winner!

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Walkers has announced a new flavour! YAYYYYYY!!!! Im so excited!!
The winner of Walkers "Do Us A Home Grown Flavour" contest was Marie Boxall with her "Hog Roast with Sage and Onion Stuffing". mmmmmmm.
That just sounds so good!
Walkers announced the contest in conjunction with new marketing of Walkers as home grown products. Each bag in the Walkers range highlights a main ingredient that has been grown locally within the UK. Marie's choice of Hog Roast will highlight the Pork raised in her hometown of Norfolk. The potatoes are also grown in the UK. This bag of chips will be available beginning in August and will be exclusive to Tesco markets. I can't wait until August for the hunt to begin!!

Contest: Walkers Do Us A Home Grown Flavour

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Walkers is hosting their first new contest since the "What's This Flavour?" contest over a year ago. This time they are following the popular trend of having fans come up with the taste. They've taken from the US contest called "Do Us A Flavor" and put a local flavored twist on it by calling it "Do Us A Home Grown Flavour". This plays into Walkers recent revamp of all their flavors to highlight the home grown qualities. (Check out my blog about the new Home Grown packaging for more info). Basically, Walkers wants you to know, that not only are their potatoes grown in the UK, but they also use locally sourced cheeses, meats, and produce. Now, its your turn to put those beautiful local ingredients to good use and come up with a unique new flavor. Walkers judges will select 3 finalists, the winner will be voted for by UK citizens, and the they will win £5,000 GBP and have their bag sold exclusively in TESCO stores. This contest is only open to UK residents.
Can't wait to see what they come up with, Walkers are already pretty delicious, so I don't think they can do any wrong. My only complaint is, £5,000 is kind of a small prize when compared to what the US and Canada are going to give away in their respective contests... but seeing as this contest is scaled down to only TESCO stores, it kind of makes sense.
What do you think? What would you want to see in a new Walkers flavor? Sound off below!

Gotta Get At This: Walkers New Packaging for 2013

 Walkers has just updated their site with gorgeous new bag designs for their crisps. I love these bags. They echo British pride and showcase the homegrown UK potatoes.
The potato depicted now has a Union Jack flag cut into it, and a Union Jack shadow emanating from the potato and crisps.They also describe the flavors in a really unique way highlighting the "Made in Britain" sensibility that has led Walkers to their high level of quality.
The range shows off flavors such as "Classically Ready Salted with Salt from Cheshire", "Scrumptiously Smoked Bacon with Pork from Norfolk", "Simply Roast Chicken with Free Range Chicken from Devon", and "Tantalizingly Tomato Ketchup with Vale of Evesham Tomatoes"; just to name a few. Feel free to click below to get a better view of the new bags or visit www.Walkers.co.uk and be prepared to squint your eyes a little bit to read it all lol.

Love the new designs and descriptions, some of them make my mouth water just thinking about them. If you hadn't tried them already, hit up your local British Grocer and track these down. They are life changing-ly good!!

Walkers UK Salt & Shake

Here is an interesting bag of Walkers from the UK. These are Salt & Shake, a Walkers rebranding of the popular UK Smith's Salt N Shake bag. The Salt N Shake bag began when Frank Smith began selling his crisps with a 0.6g package of salt. Customers could add the salt at their discretion and shake the bag up to spread the flavor. Smith's was eventually bought out by Pepsi/Frito Lay (as was Walkers) and in 2003 It was rebranded into the Walkers range. I first popped this bag open and found my tiny blue packet of salt. Before dressing it up, I tried a chip on it's own. You never think about how vital Salt is to a chip until you have one without salt. It was bland and seemed to feel like it had more grease than usual. Actually, now that I think about it, it probably did... that way the salt would stick to it (duh, Gina). I tore open the packet and poured in the Salt, shook it up, and dove in. Sadly I had to reshake it like 4 times to get some decent coverage. The chips basically got Saltier as I got closer to the bottom because all the salt decided it wanted to live at the bottom of the bag. And even the saltiest of the chips was moderately seasoned. It was a fun bag to eat just for the novelty, but I would save this for people who are on a diet that needs to regulate sodium, or the faint, who just don't care for salty chips. These are definitely yummy and edible, but if I want salt flavored crisps in the UK, I'm gonna grab Walkers "Ready Salted".